The new eating habits in Italy in the '90• Exodus from the countryside, • Emancipation of women and the

job outside the home for most of them

• The decline of heavy work, led to a strong change of the alimentary styles.

• People have many snacks during the day, the midday meal, with the whole family gathered around the table is less frequent.

• The main meal of the day is no longer lunch but the dinner, because, especially in large cities, rarely one goes home for lunch, but makes a brief interval at the bar, fast food or canteen.

• Consequence of this style of life is the increase in consumption outside the home, there is a large demand for a "take away" meal ready to  buy and bring home also the evening, when the women  come back from work too tired to cook.

• The markets have multiplied the products already prepared, ranging from sauces, frozen pizzas, pasta ready to put in microwave or in a pan.

• Today the Italian population no longer works in order to feed itself as it happened until after World War II, a life most times made of hardships and sacrifices marked by malnutrition and diseases, during which the possibility to make a complete meal every day was seen like a dream.

BREAKFAST:between 7 and 9 a.m.

92% of Italians claim to have breakfast in the morning, but 15% of the population, only  drink a coffee without eating anything. Therefore, it is only 77% to put something solid in the stomach  and remains  an 8% for which the breakfast does not exist just like a meal.

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Italian breakfast

no foodcoffeeat

• Breakfast is mainly consumed at home (87%), although many 23% prefer to go to bars (In this case, the classic combination is cappuccino (or espresso) and cornetto (brioche or other). The first Breakfast is still too hasty a meal (15 minutes at the most between preparation and consumption) and lonely (55% of Italians have breakfast alone).  0

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places to havebreakfast

at home

at thebar

The favourite breakfast by the Italians is the traditional one: sweet and simple.

Drinks Barley coffeeBlack coffeeMilkCoffee and milkTea (black or green)other

Food Bread, Biscuits, Brioches, CakesHoney, jamYogurt and cereals

Lunch:from 12.30 to 15.00

Half of italians choose a meal constituted only from one course. The others eat both a first and a main course. 

Primo /first course

And/or

Pasta with sauce (with vegetables/meat/fish)Vegetables soupRice (with meat/fish/vegetables)

Secondo/main course

Meat or fish with bread and salad

Dinner from 19.30 to 22

Consumption of fruit and vegetables: 60% of Italians consumes 1-2 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, while only 8% of it consume 5 or more portions, as recommended by the "Guidelines for a healthy diet

Primo/first course Vegetable soupMain course Eggs or Cheese or

meat or fish with salad and vegetables

On special occasions:

It can be added to the previous menu a starter, and a dessert and the courses can consist of more elaborated dishes.

“Too few of us, perhaps, feel that the breaking of bread, the sharing of salt, the common dipping into one bowl,

mean more than satisfaction of a need.”

Yuan Mei, Chinese poet

“The last supper” by Leonardo Da Vinci